The Tufts University Spirit Coalition and Senior Class Council will sponsor the third annual Mr. Jumbo Competition tonight in Cohen Auditorium. Ten contestants will compete to be crowned Mr. Jumbo, an award bestowed on the Tufts student who best represents the spirit of the Hill's beloved pachyderm.
The Class of 2006 started the competition two years ago. "It was an event created to augment school spirit," sophomore Brittany Sommer, Spirit Coalition Co-Chair said.
Spirit Coalition seeks to promote school spirit events on campus. But students interviewed about Mr. Jumbo generally responded, "What school spirit?"
Junior Brandon Lucia gave his take on why school spirit might be so elusive at Tufts. "I don't think there's a well-defined Jumbo spirit," he said. "Maybe that's what defines a Jumbo - we're all a mish-mosh."
"I didn't even know it was supposed to be about school spirit," senior Benjamin Chang said of the Mr. Jumbo competition. "It always struck me as a popularity contest."
Not every student thought the competition to be without merit. "I think it's a good tradition to start, because it does create some school spirit, which we are definitely lacking," sophomore Shelby Deeney said.
"The whole competition is basically centered on which of the contestants has the most school spirit," Sommer said. "Each contestant is involved in something different on campus, so it brings a diverse audience."
For those who do attend, the evening can be an entertaining one. "It's one of the most fun events of the year, right up there with Spring Fling and Naked Quad Run," Deeney said.
But despite the entertainment factor, one student thought the show was not of the best quality. "In my experience, the contestants end up just trying to outdo the silliness of everyone else during the talent portion," Lucia said.
Last year's Mr. Jumbo nominees included two women; this year there is one. "There's a homecoming king and a homecoming queen, so why not a Miss Jumbo?" junior Cassi Norgaisse said.
Sommer offered an explanation. "Mr. Jumbo is just the title," she said. "The definition of the event is a school-wide spirit pageant. It is open to both males and females. Anyone can be nominated and chosen to compete."
"It should be a separate thing, because it's awkward with a couple of girls on stage and a bunch of guys," Deeney said.
So what exactly makes the ideal Mr. Jumbo? "He should be a guy who is funny, approachable, very friendly, with a great sense of humor... an all-around good guy," Norgaisse said.
"It's easier at a school like Tufts to find someone, because we don't have a clear school spirit, so you can just pick someone and say that they have Jumbo spirit," she said.
